DTP2016 - Solidarity (wk6)

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Transcript of DTP2016 - Solidarity (wk6)

Solidarity!Perspectives on Social Capital and 'Civil Society'How did the topic (re-)surface in the field of development?1980s. SAPs' shock therapy. Unexpected outcomes and the need for safety netsLate 1980s. WB on the learning curveoh wait, the opposite of state regulation is not the free market, people are connected in multiple, non economic ways!deviations from strict selfishness exist!A new research agenda. Social capital, civil society --> trust in participatory processes and deliberation (PRSPs, see http://goo.gl/eF5Oop) DefinitionsSocial capital according to WB: http://is.gd/0MbCHF

Civil society according to Bratton (1994): ‘Sphere of social interaction between the household and the state which is manifest in norms of community cooperation, structures of voluntary association, and networks of public communication’ (p. 2)

SC slightly more neutral than CSNot the tyranny of the domestic cellNot the greed of the marketNot the cynicism of politics--> Can we really separate the good and bad sides sides of social connectedness?

The wheel reinvented?Adam SmithK. PolanyiE. DurkheimP. BourdieuAn early sociological puzzleThe GiftThe triple obligation togivereceivereturn. But i) not exactly the same amount and ii) laterMeasuring deviations from selfishness The Ultimatum Game(with your participation)Measuring deviations from selfishness. The Ultimatum Game (Henrich et al.)The Ultimatum Game. DiscussionWhat is being measured exactly?What explains variation?homo oeconomicus. A social construct: the product of market-based economy rather than universal behaviour? The 'community' has no intrinsic qualityAnother big finding. Less generosity towards strangers (another social construct)SC and growth - Civicness in Italian industrial districts

The benefits of vibrant SCSC and democracy - Kgotla meetings in BotswanaSC, risk-sharing and investment

SC and job search - Granovetter's strength of weak ties

SC and Conflicts -Fearon & Laitin, Varshney

How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortune of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it. (A. Smith, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, 1759)Small, not always beautifulHow resilient is reciprocity? Explaining urban "anonymity" v rural "tight-knit communities"Microlevel 'extractive' institutions--> Bonding SC v Bridging SCTheory and measurementFunerals in AbidjanRotating saving and credit associationsEven when membership is voluntary, CSOs are local sources of power (sometimes competing with the state, sometimes forming an alliance with it, sometimes operating in parallel with it) and inequalities, framed by collectively endorsed or disputed behavioural norms

Implication (among others). Debunking the myth of African solidarity --> exclusion can be brutal if you cannot meet your social obligationsCSOs as political creatures